


Halfway to Heaven

by tsubasa_quill



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Zero - Fandom
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, noragamiAU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 02:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8232694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsubasa_quill/pseuds/tsubasa_quill
Summary: There is literal trouble in paradise and the world remains blissfully unaware of its impending doom. Will a forgotten god and a lonely human be enough to stop the end of the world?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chocomint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocomint/gifts).



> Dear Recipient-san,  
> I hope this is at least a little close to what you wanted. I absolutely love Noragami and leaped at the idea of a Jump-Noragami AU! I used all kinds of elements from the manga/anime and kind of tried molding the story a bit differently so I probably concocted a mess. I still hope though there is something you like in it. You definitely deserve better than what I came up with. *sobs*  
> Disclaimer: This is purely fiction and has nothing to do with the Idols mentioned. Hey!Say!JUMP and Zero belong to their respective managements and Noragami is the work of Adachitoka.

 

 

 

Nakajima Yuto didn’t believe in a lot of things. He didn’t believe in anything that wasn’t tangible, practical or without sense. He found a lot about the world fascinating and was welcome to musings about the unknown. However, things like love at first sight, destiny, luck... even the concept of heaven and the end of the world were nothing more to him than human-made coping mechanisms.

Yuto considered himself a very logical young mind.

He was born into a planned life; everything provided and laid out for him. He was fine with the order, the schedules to follow … he was okay with not being allowed to pick his own friends and being kept away from whatever his elders thought was harmful. It didn’t bother him, he felt spared of the effort.    

He had a small family, and a very limited group of close friends; mostly sons of doctors that worked in hospitals owned by his family. He spent most of his childhood studying and partaking in his many, many hobbies, notably alone.

He was wonderful at socializing, it ran in the family; however, he enjoyed when he could, keeping to himself.

There were only two people in the world for whom Yuto would leave his comfort zone, two people he treasured more than life and would do anything for.

His grandmother had practically raised him and he was very close to his younger brother, Raiya... a very beautiful, wise and sickly child. Raiya was always in one hospital or another, mostly under quarantine but when Yuto was allowed to, he would spend all day there, talking to the sweet and patient boy through protective covers. He wasn't particularly close to either of his parents. They had always been too busy running their Medical company and were hardly home. 

It was actually for Raiya that he indulged in things like folklore and mythology. His baby brother had books about gods and heroes and their great battles. He made Yuto read them all to him, one chapter at a time.

He clearly remembers accompanying his grandmother to the many shrines all over Japan as she prayed for his brother's health and longevity.

He found her unwavering faith in the gods intriguing, often finding himself wondering, _"How could a wish compare to an oxygen mask or an antibiotic?"_

At times she used to make a strange claim about being the last in a line of priestesses to a very old, powerful. but forgotten god. She used to say that one day the knowledge of his name had just disappeared and she was actually looking for him in every shrine she visited hoping to someday, remember. Gods needed believers to thrive she used to say, and she worried what her forgetting might have done to him.

“He would’ve kept you both safe, for as long as you lived,” she had once declared, a sure smile on her face.

It didn’t make much sense to him but it did make Yuto wonder at the existence of all-powerful, immortal deities. He often wondered if they were anything like the paintings in Raiya's books; of men in silk garbs sitting in gardens of fruits and fountains of wine, granting wishes and sending down blessings.

He didn't understand the need for all those shrine visits, charms, and offerings, but he always went along with it for his grandmother's spiritual satisfaction. His brother was very well taken care of by his wealthy parents. They had access to the latest medical treatments and facilities after all. The younger boy, sick since the day he was born had managed to reach 12 years of age.

Raiya was his sole source of happiness and it seemed like nothing could take the boy away from him. He seemed to be getting better day by day.

So when the boy stopped breathing on the eve of his 13th birthday, seemingly at the peak of his health, alone in a hospital room... Yuto didn't know what to believe in anymore.

He spent the rest of his high school life just studying, uninterested in anything else. When his brother was alive, he wanted to become a doctor so he could continue caring for the boy. Now he just studied because it kept him from just hating on everything and everyone; his parents and their riches, his grandmother with her gods.

Yuto's disinterest grew into resentment when his grandmother passed away right after his high school graduation and he ended up locking himself in his room with no intentions of ever coming out. If his housekeeper hadn't burst in yelling about his med school acceptance letter, he might have starved himself to death.

There was a storm on the day he left home, thunder and lightning raging on as if a great war was being waged up in the heavens. The thought made him chuckle.

There was nothing up there… just charges and gases and air.

That's all.

~*~

Most humans presume that they are somewhat the centre of the universe, with the planet being a playground/battlefield to satisfy their innermost desires. Leading their relatively short lives on earth, they remain blissfully unaware of the heavens, the underworld and even the various creatures and otherworldly beings that walked amongst them, only visible to the few that willed to see.

Amongst the great cosmos, however, it wasn't all peace and prosperity either. The gods' lives revolved on the status quo, their hierarchy decided by the number of worshippers they have. While all gods agreed on most things, certain shifts in political powers led to disagreements and division amongst the gods. The very obvious power struggle triggered random confrontations amongst the many factions. Some of the major gods had managed to quell most of these fights but it was becoming very obvious that the controlled hostility in the heavens was close to bursting at the seams.  

That would see the world humans called home end in the most terrible way.

Amidst the looming chaos, four gods had decided to create a slightly different alliance. They were called the Moonlit Order and had declared themselves a neutral party, doing their best to protect their believers and to prevent the literal apocalypse, a task many others deemed impossible for them.  Despite that, these gods were generally held in high esteem, and their status in the heavens allowed them to be actively involved in political dialogue.

However, they had a secret fifth member. He was a minor god, an unknown deity and thus the order's shadow.

 ~*~

"Of all days," grumbled a young man, lightning blue eyes peeking up from behind a carefully styled fringe. He stood under the awning of a cafe, one arm across his chest, the other playing with a black star-shaped stud on his earlobe, a heavy frown wrinkling his otherwise very smooth complexion.

It had been pouring for three days straight now, the sky thick with storm clouds. For everyone crossing his way it was another monsoon, a frequent occurrence for the last 3 years, but for the solitary figure clad in a white V-neck and ripped jeans, it was trouble of a more... divine nature.

This was the only reason he relished being invisible.

Not that he had much trouble staying away from the brewing fight, his status as a less-than-reputable deity in the heavens has done an excellent job of that for him. He'd rather be chore boy than face divine execution.

But this was definitely getting out of hand. To think the mighty gods were trying to hide the discord above by drenching the earth in a year’s worth of rain.

That wasn’t even the worse part, however, he thought miserably, watching a large neon pink shaped blob floating over the traffic before him. The phantoms were more local of the big issues. The random bolts of lightning probably being thrown around in anger up there were giving rise to multiple but temporary rips in the veil separating this world and the underworld. This allowed for demonic spirits to pass over freely. These phantoms were small since the rifts were small but the creatures swelled whilst feeding on all the negative human emotions.

He scowled at this mess, the mess that he had to keep cleaning up.

The boyish-god sighed at his empty hands. His last Regalia, like so many before her, had just recently quit and he was currently very much weapon-less. Otherwise, that big blob would stand no chance.

Those damn Regalias, always going for the big shots.

They would regret it one day… the day he became the most revered god around.

Now if he only had a shrine of his own, he wouldn't need to spend nights sleeping at Miki's shrine and days constantly moving around so as to not attract too much attention.

He looked at the crowd passing him by, paying him no heed (the only kind of attention he didn't get but desperately needed) before looking up again to see that the giant phantom had finally passed (to heaven knows where and Hikaru would have his head). Tiny ones were flittering around but he could just crush them under his boots. Pushing himself off the wall he waded through a large group, going unnoticed as usual when a pair of very shocked black eyes met his. He blinked at the sudden attention, turning back to face the opposite side of the road, and as the nearest traffic was still a reasonable distance away, made a run for it.

He was so close to the pavement on the other side when he heard a loud honk and felt the air being knocked out of his chest as he was grabbed and pushed onto the hard, wet granite.

It took him a few seconds to realize he was being held down by a human, a very tall and strong human.

"Are you... are you okay?"

This guy’s grip was almost crushing and it irked him to find himself in such a position.

"Let go," he commanded pushing himself up onto his elbows. He turned around just as the other loosened his hold and heard a small gasp as they came face to face.

"What exactly do you think you are doing?" he snarled, pushing the other guy away and narrowing his eyes dangerously. The other seemed too shaken, mesmerized even, sprawled awkwardly on the pavement.

"I just... I just saved your life!" was the very flustered retort, (after a few seconds of open-mouthed staring mind you).

He was about to snap back because, a human... a measly, insignificant human just claimed to have saved  _his_ life? The nerve of this kid! He was cut

He didn't get the chance to, however, because on the road right next to them something strange was happening.

He face-palmed as he realised just what that was.

A human man lay unconscious right before a freaking bus, surrounded by a lot of concerned people until someone finally shouted for an ambulance. Yamada then looked back to his side at the exact same guy on his knees before him, blinking at him curiously and unknowingly wagging a glowing purple tail behind him.

He groaned loudly.

"Yuto... YUTO!" someone was yelling.

This idiot... this Yuto, or rather his phantom form, was suddenly brought out from whatever trance he was in and finally turned his head to look at his body and then to his worried friends shaking the _life_ out of him.

His mouth fell open just as the ambulance arrived and watching himself getting hoisted onto a stretcher seemed too much for him. He proceeded to then faint.

The blue eyed god stared at the face of the unconscious Yuto, a little amused at what just happened. Not only did this human notice him, he had attempted to save his life, almost losing his own in the process.

Well, not if he could help it.

The boy wasn’t a spirit yet.

The ambulance’s siren had begun to fade and a couple of small phantom critters, curious and hungry had approached Yuto. He slapped them away and quickly gathered the lanky guy in his arms.

In this state, he was just phantom fodder.

~*~

The first thing Yuto saw when he opened his eyes was the face of his mother peering down at him through her square spectacles. There was a look of extreme relief on her face as soon as he opened his mouth.

"What... happened?"

He only remembered walking down the street with three of his friends from college... and for some reason, _really_ blue eyes.

“You escaped getting hit by a bus, unscathed,”

His father walked into the dim light from his bed-side lamp, hands in the pocket of his white coat.

He held his head, trying to get his thoughts together.

"Why didn't you tell us you were in the city? Your friend... Masaki? He contacted us after he brought you here! He said you suddenly threw yourself onto the road! What were you doing?"

Yuto shook his head, unable to remember anything. His father put a firm hand on his mother's shoulder.

"Let the boy rest, we will talk tomorrow... and son try to get some more sleep,"

Yuto lay back onto his pillow as his parents left the room, eyes on the clock. It was a little past midnight and it seemed to have finally stopped raining.

 He jumped at the sound of a crunch and out of reflex threw a pillow towards the little sofa by the door, where a stranger sat with his legs up on the coffee table, helping himself to a large fruit basket. He avoided the fluffy thing without as much as flinching.

"Who are you?"

The man stopped mid-bite and turned his unnaturally blue eyes onto the terrified patient. A pang of familiarity ran through Yuto's aching head.

"You... you're-,"

"Yamada,"

"What?"

The guy got to his feet, grabbing a handful of grapes before shuffling over lazily. Without warning he climbed onto his bed, finding a comfortable enough place by Yuto’s feet. His pale knees poked out from the rips in his jeans.

"I am the god they call Yamada,"

Yuto blinked at just how ridiculous that had sounded. The level of narcissism in the introduction stunned him. That or this guy had just escaped from the psych ward. He trembled at the idea, shrinking away from the guy.

"You seriously don't remember what happened to you, do you?"

Yuto shook his head, curling up against the headboard as he watched Yamada flip a grape into the air and catch it with his mouth. The words,  _that's mine_ , died on his lips. 

"Well, I was just going about my merry way, crossing the street, with all the proper protocols mind you when I was so rudely shoved onto the dirty wet pavement,"

"Um... Yamada-san,"

"What?"

"Why... um, aren't you cold?"

Yamada made a face as Yuto made violent jabs at his (very-toned) bare chest.

"You ruined my favourite shirt, and I ended up using your bathroom to wash it. It's hanging on the towel bar. Anyway, so in an attempt to  'save my life', your soul got separated from your physical body, almost as it was bumped out of there. Now, you didn't die so the connection between your soul and body is still there, but it's like a cord holding the two together,"

Yuto had wrapped his blanket all around him, eyes wide in disbelief at the strange science Yamada was trying to explain. He, unfortunately, did finally remember the ordeal and it made him want to puke.

"But... I'm fine now aren't I?" he spluttered, looking at his hands. Yamada leaned to one side, sighing dramatically and Yuto caught himself staring at all the visible curves.

"No, you are not... you may find yourself leaving behind your physical body at random times, mostly against your own will... you are what we call... a half-phantom, someone with ties to both this world and the underworld,"

"I... don't think I fully understand," Yuto asked earnestly, eyes following Yamada as he jumped off the bed and retrieved his beloved white shirt from the bathroom.

"You will, with time," the 'god' responded nonchalantly as he touched up his hair in the mirror and straightened the wrinkles in his shirt.

"Wait... if you're... whatever you are? Can't you do anything?"

Yamada walked over to his bedside and flipped open Yuto's phone. Yuto watched his nimble fingers typing something before moving his gaze up to Yamada's strange eyes. Under the cover of his side fringe, they seemed to be glowing. He jumped as Yamada flipped the phone shut.

"I can grant you your wish, but for that, you have to come to me, possibly later when I’m like... free," he said handing the phone back to him.

Yuto nodded timidly, staring at the device. He wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to believe this guy, despite all that had happened.

But he was just too pretty to be ignored.

He slapped himself, a little too hard, feeling ashamed of himself for acting like such a-

“Wait… we’re 15 floors above the ground!” he suddenly yelled because Yamada was by the window now instead of the door.

The god slid open the window and Yuto slightly shivered as a cold breeze aerated the room. Yamada gave Yuto a quick wink before taking a leap and to Yuto's great shock, vanishing in a quick flash of light.

Releasing a breath he didn't realise he had been holding Yuto flipped open his phone and looked at the phone number, still trying to digest it all.

He really needed to lie down.

~*~

It took him 5 days to finally understand. Yuto found himself frustrated beyond belief watching for the umpteenth time as he stood over his unconscious body. It lay right in the middle of the street, breathing softly as if he were just asleep. Two of his friends stood by him, panicking over his bouts of extreme somnolence after the accident. He finally decided to ignore  the nervous feeling in his gut and contact that pretty... pretty strange guy with the blue eyes ASAP.

Okay maybe tomorrow.

Being in his phantom form was strange. He felt light, being able to leap up and over great heights and distances. He could also spot all kinds of strange beings floating around amongst people that had no idea they existed. His favourite ones had been little blobs of neon colours and many eyes that seem to follow him wherever they could.

There was also a scent that he had managed to pick up, familiar, faint but stronger than any other around but he never attempted to follow its trail. It made him feel a little... intoxicated.

~*~

Yamada was perched atop a garbage bin, humming to himself as he emptied a bottle of spray can, vandalising a brick wall with his name and phone number. He ended the words, _god of chores_ with a flourish before disposing the can and admiring his handiwork.

The sky was so blue and the sun shone so bright it was obvious the sun goddess had won an argument today.

For him, it seemed like a great day to gather a bunch of new believers, maybe enough to earn his own shrine and finally a rightful place in heaven. It sucked that he's been doing chores for people for over a 100 years now only to be forgotten instantly. It's the fate of a stray god... a purposeless being with no believers, but he was not going to give up... no matter how long it takes.

He did a quick backflip off the dumpster as his phone rang and he answered it, putting as much cheer in his voice as possible.

"Hi there, this is Yamada the god of chores and all your everyday whims and wishes! How may I be of service?"

"FIX ME! NOW!"

Yamada flipped the phone shut with a scowl, feeling his right ear go deaf.

~*~

He revelled in the shock on Yuto's face as he materialized atop a railing, his black stud all glittery in the sun.

"Hey there!"

"Fix me,"

"What's the rush?"

"I'm slipping out of my body like a loose shoe!"

"Does that make you question your very existence?"

"It's not funny,"

Yamada pouted. The poor guy looked genuinely upset, plopping himself onto the nearby bench.

"I have 6 weeks before the next term and I keep getting admitted again and again for falling asleep randomly! Today I fell asleep mid-conversation, on a date mind you, in a fully crowded café,”

“What a bummer,” Yamada responded plainly, playing with his fringe.

Yuto ignored some passer-bys giving him looks for seemingly talking to himself, pushing the question of why no one seemed to be noticing the gorgeous being next to him, to the back of his mind.

He hoped there would be time for that.

"Look," Yamada began, kicking his feet back and forth.

"I'd love to help you... but I don't have the right tools to fix you right now,"

Yuto looked dumbstruck.

"What do you mean? Am I going to be stuck like this forever?"

"No you won't, but I used to have a weapon for fighting phantoms but I don't anymore since I'm no longer in that field of work. Without it, I can't cut your ties to the underworld,"

Yuto looked a little thoughtful but then stood up suddenly, leaving behind his body snoring on the bench.

"A phantom... I've seen those around... wait here,"

Yamada frowned as the other took off and groaned as he realized what the other was trying to do.

"Ughh... idiot!" he grumbled setting off behind the half-phantom.

Just as he feared, he found excitedly bouncing underneath a massive green and blue blob, its many eyes swivelling excitedly at the sight of the boy. He heard its many hungry voices chant about just how delicious Yuto smelled and he propelled himself forward, grabbing Yuto just as the phantom’s extended arm crushed the granite the boy had been standing on.

"YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" he snarled, moving fast and taking sharp turns, hand wrapped tightly around Yuto's.

"WHY?"

Yamada didn't answer; his eyes had caught a small ball of white light floating behind a lamp-post. He came to a sudden stop and slammed Yuto against an alley wall.

"Stay here and don't move until I get back,"

~*~

Yuto's heart was pounding in his chest as he hid behind a dumpster. He could hear the voices of the large phantom getting closer. Yamada had been gone for almost 5 minutes now and he wanted so badly to just make a run for it. He couldn't though. He wanted to wait. What if Yamada came back for him and got attacked by the phantom instead?

After 10 minutes had passed and a small phantom had found him. He tried shooing it away but it stuck itself onto his shoes. He grunted, trying to wiggle it off and didn’t notice the large phantom until it was right above him. With a gasp, he did a roundhouse kick, delighted as he managed to propel the creature back a few feet. There was a sudden and piercing pain in the leg that had come into contact with the phantom and pulling his pants up he noticed bubbling purple lesions all over that skin.

He skidded across the ground to exit the alleyway just as the phantom launched tiny versions of itself from within its jelly-like flesh. There was a rotten smell as the creatures rained all around him. He used his new body to its full extent, leaping and bounding away from the creatures to the highest rooftop in the area. The larger phantom was slower and the smaller ones needed to climb up to him.

A sudden pain at the side of his waist made him lift his shirt and he screamed in pain as he noticed at least a dozen of those creatures covering his skin, turning it purple and hot to the touch. He fell on his back, pain racking through his body.

“Yama-… help…,” he gasped out, eyes falling shut.

There was a sudden flash and he felt as if he had been splashed with cool water. He opened his eyes to see his wounds healing and Yamada stood before him, a beautiful katana in hand.

“Sorry I took so long,” he responded, back to him. Yuto shook his head weakly.

Yamada began to use his fingers to write an indiscernible script in the air, aglow in blue light before twirling his blade to grasp it in both hands.

“Won’t take me long,” he added quietly before leaping forward, right into the open mouth of the phantom.

All Yuto saw were flashes of light, carving lines around the creature before it exploded into nothingness, casting a temporary red hue over the world.

Yamada landed before him, his eyes toning down into the usual blue from what had been two moon-like orbs.

"Well, that's that," the god exclaimed, finally smiling as he helped Yuto up.

 "Where... did you get your weapon?" Yuto asked, feeling a little dizzy from all the adrenaline and there was that intoxicating scent again.

Yamada laughed as Yuto gaped in awe of the perfect slim blade, the light of the setting sun reflecting off its untainted surface. Three charms hung from its hilt that jingled softly as Yamada gave it a fancy twirl, eyes glinting with pride.

"Must be fate, he's perfect,"

"He?"

"Ahan, watch this.... revert- Yuri!"

With all the things he had already experienced, this shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. At Yamada's command, the blade swiftly turned into a young male all dressed in white. He looked at them both with innocent black eyes and then smiled up at Yamada.

"He's my new regalia! Isn't he just precious!" the god exclaimed and cooed as Yuri snuggled up to him, ignoring the way Yuto flinched. Didn’t they just meet?

"What's a regalia?"

"Wandering spirits can sometimes be found by gods who claim them, name them and basically give them a new identity as the god's right hand… they are a god's only tools and can evolve from spirit to demi-gods if they are loyal enough,"

"I... see," Yuto responded, amazed, in spite of the annoyance he was feeling at just how comfortable Yuri seemed flushed against Yamada. The god did not at all seem to mind the close proximity.

"Anyway, let's get you guys somewhere safe for now, it’s getting dark and more aggressive phantoms wander the streets at night, also thanks to Yuri I can now teleport all of us together,"

"My body...,"

"Safe, I took a liberty of taking your body to this place first before coming here. Let's go," Yamada responded holding out a hand to Yuto who took it immediately, currently engaged in a staring contest with Yuri, only broken by the flash of light that engulfed them when Yamada teleported.

~*~

Yuto had never expected to find a secret entrance in the courtyard of Lord Kamiki's shrine, the actual god of knowledge. He also didn't expect the actual Kamiki, in the appearance of a bespectacled young man in his 20's would be the one leading them through it, accompanied by his pretty female regalia Shida. Kamiki had been pleasantly intrigued with Yuto's condition and hid none of his enthusiasm as he led them through a tunnel. Ryosuke and Shida (apparently she used to be called Mirai when she was Ryosuke's regalia) were tailing them, heatedly going at each other. It had started with Shida giving Yuri her condolences for becoming the regalia of the most useless god in existence.

 Anyway, the tunnel under Kamiki's shrine led to a massive and ancient structure that looked like an old temple covered in heavy foliage and surrounded by a thick forest.

 Within the decrepit walls, however, was the most lavish common room he had seen, complete with marble pedestals hosting golden-blue flames for heat and light, a large fountain in the center of the entrance hall, really expensive-looking sofas and rugs, a few tables of hand-carved mahogany and a... dart board.

This was apparently the headquarters of the Moonlit Order. A portrait of all 4 gods hung up on the walls. Apparently, Kamiki had done them himself.

The Moonlit Order was made up of Arioka, the god of music and rhythm, who was apparently related to the god of mischief. This information was given to Yuto as a warning from the god's own regalia Hikaru. Other than that pair there was also Yabu, the god of wisdom and his regalia, Ryutaro and they were a very mature pair. Then there was Takaki, the god of architecture and his regalia Kei, not so mature. Last was his host Kamiki and of course... Yamada.

Yamada didn’t get a portrait though.

Yuto would have felt intimidated being surrounded by literal deities and their spirit companions but with the dirty jokes, overeating and dart games he felt as if he were in a college common room instead. They all apparently chastised Yamada for not fixing Yuto as soon possible but nobody seemed to be pushing it. It was as if there was a shared sense of sympathy for the god of chores as he called himself, and Yuto couldn't comprehend exactly why.

After some feasting and an impromptu wrestling match, Yuto was invited to sit in on the order's meeting.

He had listened to the gods’ accounts of the trouble in paradise with great interest and had felt an impending sense of literal doom at what they were suggesting would happen if a war did break out.

"I suggest you stay with us until the situation calms down a bit you know," Yabu had said.

“Why?”

“We don’t want the higher-ups to notice a human that is so connected to our world; it could mean trouble for all of us, especially Yamada,” Arioka explained.

“We don’t want them to notice Yamada just yet, we need him,” Takaki had added with a small smile.

Yuto swallowed.

"Won't people notice me gone?"

"We can take care of that... just make your wish," Takaki responded until Kei elbowed him hard in the gut and kind of jerked his head towards Yamada. The god had been walking around rather aimlessly all evening, lost in thoughts.

"He means you can ask Yamada anything, he'll do his best for you,” Kamiki interjected with everyone in the room (except Yuri who did a massive eye-roll) nodding with extreme vigour.

Yuto looked at the blue-eyed god, looking like a lost puppy, staring out at the crescent moon and felt a squeeze around his heart. As if he felt him staring, Yamada met his gaze and gave him a small smile. Yuto felt a little heat rise up to his face, realising what the source of that intoxicating scent was. 

Yuri walked past him, shoving him slightly and to his chagrin enveloped himself around his master like a possessive koala. From the corner of his eye, Yuto saw Arioka and Hikaru simultaneously face-palm.

~*~

Yamada was sitting on the ledge of a window, creating a massive shadow over the sleeping figure on the nearest couch. He wasn't worried about leaving Yuto in the order's headquarters with Arioka and Hikaru. Those two were his oldest and dearest friends and he knew they had realized how important Yuto had become to him. After years of being ignored and forgotten, (something he believed he well deserved), Yuto was the first human to have willed to see him, to be near him... to risk his own life for him.

Was this how it felt like to have a true believer? Was that what Yuto was?

He had never thought of someone wanting to save him. The order was his family, but even they could do nothing to prevent his eventual demise. But Yuto... could... Yuto just might...

His eyes welled up. As if by habit, he reached up to touch the stud on his ear only to remember why it wasn't there. 

He sighed as he felt a hand wiping away a treacherous tear from his left cheek. He looked at the smiling face of his _blessed regalia_ , the loyal demi-god he had spent the last 100 years with, and gave him a small smile of reassurance. The other wasn't fooled but decided to give his god some space. He reverted back into his other form, allowing Yamada to put it back on.

The god then got to his feet.

There was so much he wanted to ask Yuto, things he wanted to tell him and places he wanted him to see.

Gods were the ones that granted wishes and so he wondered if he was the only one who actually had one of his own.

Who granted the wishes of gods?

He held up his hand and the boy that had been standing quietly in a corner all this time became his katana. He looked at his own reflection in the blade, his blue eyes aglow.

It was the time for the order's shadow to embark on a secret assignment- a mission he had been putting off with the excuse of not having a weapon. It was too risky but necessary for the order and no one could do it without getting noticed except for him.

He was also the only one who could go forth with this task and never come back if something went wrong. That didn’t use to bother him that much before.

He walked closer to Yuto, as silent as the night, and muttered a small spell, a protection charm.  The other guy mumbled in his sleep, something about pools and speedos, and he had to hold back a chuckle.

“You are so weird boy,” he breathed out bending close enough to whisper in his ear. He parted his lips and spoke some words and more, like a silent prayer.

 "Never forget my true name, and you'll never forget me."

~*~

"Are you alright?"

Yuto looked up to see Hikaru hovering over him, holding a towel.

"You've been screaming in your sleep again," Takaki added, aiming his dart. 

Arioka crawled next to him on his futon, wiping his face and neck with the towel Hikaru had given him.

"It's been 2 weeks, where is he?" Yuto croaked, his throat was so dry it hurt. Shida handed him a glass of water which he thankfully took.

From the corner of his eye he saw Yabu sinking further into his favourite armchair, looking more serious than usual.

"We needed someone to negotiate with the goddess of the underworld," he said with a sigh. 

"Without the heavens finding out that is," added Kamiki. 

"He’s the only one who could afford to do it,"

"Why... why is it when you all talk about him, you make him sound so-,” Yuto began, failing to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Expendable? Kamiki continued for him, ignoring the sharp looks the rest gave him. He could see the hurt and anger on the human boy’s face. Kamiki looked away, face unnaturally stoic. Shida had become uncomfortably stiff.

"That doesn't mean anyone wants him dead,” Hikaru interjected, cutting through the heavy silence.

“Look, we are all doing what's within our powers and none of it is easy,” Yabu added, trying his best to show the emotional boy before him just how much they really cared for their fifth member.

“We are not meant for physical fights," Takaki chipped in, obviously troubled.

“He is the only one of the gods here who is experienced in combat and self-defense," Kei said, leaning against the wall.

"We won't stand a chance down there," Arioka agreed.

"Aren't gods immortal?" Yuto snapped in disbelief. He probably shouldn't be talking to deities this way, just because they were letting him, but the fact that nobody had gone to rescue the blue-eyed god was frustrating.

"Yuto, the way it works... we can be killed. But as long as people believe in us and need us we will reincarnate," Yabu answered patiently. 

"So... if he dies... he'll still come back?" Yuto asked, very confused. He didn't like the way Arioka paled at his question.

There was a silent exchange between everyone in the room as if they had suddenly reached a very sensitive topic.

"Yuto, he doesn’t have a shrine, doesn't have believers... until about a 100 or so years ago he used to be the god of war and chaos, of death and depravity... he killed people! People don't pray to gods like that anymore," Kamiki responded, voice breaking a bit. He looked like he was holding something back.

"What are you saying? He kills phantoms not... people!"

"He used to... but someone changed his mind and he's been trying to find a place in this world and ours ever since. He's been working so hard to get the heavens to see him differently but it hasn't been easy at all," Yabu replied quietly.

"We were all once his enemies, over time we have come to appreciate his efforts and have come to accept him as a friend," Kei added with a soft smile at the end.

"But… he has a believer, I believe in him," Yuto said slowly, pushing himself to stand on his wobbly knees.

The others were looking at him patiently, almost kindly, urging him to go on.

He sighed deeply.

"I will always believe in him, something led me to meet him... and it's changed my life forever. I mean look at all of you! I used to think you were all myths and nothing more, but you are standing here right before me trying to stop the end of the world from happening! He made me believe in all of you too!”

The room had suddenly felt lighter, even serious Ryutaro breaking off into a smile. Hikaru squeezed his shoulder, giving him a soft, encouraging look.

“I want to believe that this is my destiny… I want to believe that I exist for a reason... and if my faith in him could give him the life he needs, then I'll devote my whole life-,"

A sudden realization had cut Yuto short, distress hitting him like the bus that had started it all. A gaping hole began to develop in his chest.

It was dizzying... being unable to recall something so important.

"Yuto?" Hikaru called out concerned as Yuto suddenly clutched at his hair, quietly chanting _oh no oh no_.

Yabu peered at him and then gasped in realization.

"You... forgot his name,"

Yuto fell against the wall, curling up into a sobbing mess. He could visualize the glowing blue eyes, like massive galaxies of stars flowing in a blue whirl around a jet black rift. He remembers the scent, like wet roses after the rain but the face... and the name... it was nowhere in the far reaches of his memory. He felt foolish, treacherous, talking big and making empty promises. _He_ was gone... and forgetting the name felt like everything else was just sand between his fingers... quickly slipping away.

There was a deathly silence all around him as his sobs turned to panicked gasps.

"Should we tell him, should we tell him the name?" Arioka said, losing his nerve.

Kamiki swayed slightly, Shida moving to his side to give him support. Kei shook his head and looked expectantly at Yabu who nodded gravely in return. Ryutaro and Takaki appeared equally disturbed.

"He won't recognize it coming from us,"

"We should... consider our options just in case... he doesn't come back," Takaki added, looking away from Yuto. Hikaru mumbled something about making some tea but before he could move something happened.

The fire in a nearby pedestal had suddenly flared up, catching everyone's attention.

"It's a demon from the underworld!"

All the regalias had quickly taken protective positions before their gods as the flame took the form of a snake. To everyone's surprise, the fiery demon shot directly towards Yuto who did not look up in time.

There was a small eruption somewhere by his side and then he was suddenly enveloped in a cooling bubble of water. The snake collided against it but screeched as if the water was burning it instead. Within seconds it dissipated into black smoke.

Yuto looked at his hands, the water felt amazing and he could still breathe. There was also a very familiar scent; the strongest it’s ever been around him.

"Is that blessed water? A protection spell?" Shida mused as the beautiful shield disappeared and Yuto was gently lowered onto the floor, safe and dry. Kamiki nodded, frowning in concentration.

"Did she trace us through _him_?"

Yuto smiled as he felt a thought pop up in the furthest reaches of his mind, almost like a gentle whisper.

"Never forget my true name, and you'll never forget me," he repeated by memory, relishing in the echo of the voice within his mind.

"Yuto... do you by chance know his true name?" Yabu asked suddenly, taken aback. Yuto looked relieved, happy even as he nodded. He doesn't remember how, but the voice in his head was definitely his god's.

"Even we don't know each other’s true names!" Arioka exclaimed shaking Takaki violently as if that was somehow his fault.

"Yuto a true name is very powerful, its a summon! You should call him by it, that's the only way to bring him back!"

Yuto nodded, blinking back the moisture in his eyes. He was feeling overwhelmed to have been told a secret no one else knew.

"Come back," he began, voice hoarse from all the crying.

"I wish for you to come back to me... Ryosuke."

They all jumped as a slowly growing white flame formed in the center of the hall, over the fountain. The flame burst into smoke and from within it three figures appeared, landing with a splash. The two on either side were supporting the one in the middle and Yuto felt both anger and relief at the sight of the bruised and bloodied Yamada. An equally battered Yuri stood on his left and a strange boy he did not recognize was holding him up from the right. He rushed forwards and both spirits released the unconscious god into his arms. The stranger gave him a friendly smile before escorting a weakened Yuri towards a nearby couch.

"Is he alright?" Yuto asked his voice breaking as he wiped the blood off Yamada’s face with his hands. Yamada looked too peaceful, almost asleep. It was alarming.

Arioka squatted in front of them before beaming up at everyone else.

"No... but he will be."

~*~

"Can you believe it Yutti? He had another Regalia all along... and a blessed one at that! I feel so betrayed,"

"Keito seems really nice though, and I think he likes you a lot!"

Yuto's response was cheery enough, but the sulking spirit on his lap merely waved it off with a bored look.

"I don't care what _you_ think, Ryosuke's mine and I don't share... unless it’s with you of course, that can’t be helped,"

Yuto felt the heat rushing to his face quickly and scowled at the smirk on the spirit’s face. Pouting, he gave the boy a weak nudge and Yuri obliged, but for some reason quickly clambered up onto the armrest of his chair and did a quick flip, landing on top of Hikaru and Ryutaro’s chess game.

“Oii midget what do you think you’re doing?” Ryutaro snarled. Hikaru stretched and fell on his back, not really caring. He was winning anyway and Yuri was adorable enough to be allowed to irk Ryutaro as much as he pleased.

"What was that for?" hissed Yabu's regalia as he began picking up his fallen pieces from the floor.

"You were losing, very badly, I just saved you a whole lot of embarrassment,"

"Why you little-,"

"Yuri, stop showing off will you?"

The spirit's face perked up as Ryosuke walked into the room with Keito and he bounded towards the two, completely ignoring Ryutaro who was now cradling his queen chess piece, making certain promises of vengeance.

Watching the three interact, Yuto acknowledged his own curiosity about the black ear stud Ryosuke had always seemed so fond of before the big reveal. It was very recent that he learned regalias took all kinds of different forms. Hikaru was a shamisen, Ryutaro, a staff, Kei was a crown and Shida an exquisite calligraphy brush. Apparently, since Keito was an evolved Regalia, he had two.

As if on cue all spirits except for Yamada's took their respective forms for their gods to hold.

Ryosuke asked the rest for some time, arranging steady steps towards Yuto.

Despite having been almost killed by the feared goddess of the underworld, he had managed to somehow persuade her to stay out of the discord in the heavens. With that out of the way, the order had finally decided to head to the divine council and directly approach the major gods to propose an ultimate ceasefire.

Ryosuke would go with them, as their protector and their weapon. The chore boy was the deadly god of war after all, always ready for anything.

Yuto wasn't so worried anymore.

He couldn’t be anything else but flustered and awed and a little giddy with joy at the breath-taking way Ryosuke smiled at the blueprints on the nearest table as he crossed it. Yuto had begun construction on a small but beautiful shrine by the river near his family home. The main framework was done, Yamada’s name in bold letters across the entranceway.

Even if the heavens wouldn’t grant him a home, he would always have a place here... with him.

"You ready?" Yuto asked cheerfully, as Ryosuke approached him, a pout on his face.

“What would you do if I say no?” he asked in mock curiosity. Playing along, Yuto looked thoughtful.

“I can think of a couple of things,”

The pair ignored the gagging sounds in the background.

 "Don’t worry about me, you know I'm super strong," Ryosuke responded with a pompous smirk. He looked away though, red in the face as Yuto said nothing and kept smiling at him like he was the most wonderful thing in the world.

_‘You’re such an idiot.’_

 "Hey, you better come back by yourself this time! I'm still a half-phantom you know," Yuto whined. Ryosuke's face fell slightly and he sighed.

He wondered if anyone had told Yuto about the consequences of getting his ties to the underworld cut. Yuto's memories of everything that had transpired ever since that accident would be reset.

Yamada, like before, wouldn't exist for him anymore.

But that was a problem for another day.

"Ryosuke?"

He jumped, the name sounded so pure with the way Yuto spoke it. Yuto had a strange way of making him feel like he was something special. 

It hurt.

“How can you be sure I’ll want to come back?” he said suddenly, failing to hide the slight bitterness in his voice. He frowned as Yuto merely chuckled. 

The god took a couple steps back in reflex as Yuto closed his eyes and lowered himself onto his knees. 

He couldn't hold back his surprise as Yuto brought his hands together.

"Yamada-sama, please hear my prayer,"

Ryosuke stood watching with overflowing fondness as Yuto clapped his hands together and looked up at him, eyes radiating a devotion he felt he didn’t deserve.

"Wherever you go, no matter how far... you have to come back. I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes, so please... as you set off on your quest to save the world... remember to come home when it's all over,”

Ryosuke heard a couple of cheers from the rest of the company as he leaned his head back, a huge smile on his face.

His heart was still heavy, but with a completely different emotion now.

Just like that.

Pulling the lanky guy back up onto his feet, he looked expectantly at both his grinning regalias, holding out a hand to them.

Nodding in understanding they vanished simultaneously, and Yamada was suddenly clad in a light armour of black and gold with his beautiful Katana in his hand, its charms ringing wildly.

He didn't turn around to look at his wish come true, otherwise, he wouldn’t feel like leaving. So he looked forward instead to where the rest of the order stood waiting; content, happy, determined.

It was time to end this.

They had to stop the chaos. It didn’t matter that it was just 5 against the entirety of the heavens. They had believers to protect and an apocalypse to prevent.

It was all worth whatever part of themselves they may end up sacrificing. 

Yamada looked up at the dark and grim sky, a bit of the sunlight peeking through and held up a hand to wave at Yuto as he left the temple, making sure his voice was loud enough for his believer to hear.

" **Your wish has been heard loud and clear.** "

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Terms from Noragami:  
> Regalia - wandering spirits claimed by gods to be their tools  
> Blessed Regalia - regalias that evolved into better forms due to (mostly) their loyalty to their gods.  
> In the anime also known as Shinki.
> 
>  
> 
> To the person who convinced me to do this, thank you for being your kind, encouraging self. To my amazing beta Kay-san, who not only had to deal with me consistently freaking out but was a literal blessing for this fic, thank you <3 Also, to everyone else, I hope this was borderline enjoyable if at all bearable.


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